horrible back pain need help

[Alainpm]

Just now, Andre0720 said:

I had something very similar. A pinched nerve at the 5th vertebrae. causing numbness and pain going down my left arm.

 

A <Network chiropractor< told me he would fix it at about 90 %, since there was damage to a disk. He told me it would come back during stressful events. He was absolutely right.

There are three types of chiropractic approaches that I know, so be careful which one you go to.

 

Medicine typically just hides the pain, does not solve the problem. I never took any pain killers... When the problem is solved, the pain goes away. How will one know if the problem is gone if the pain is numbed with all sorts of medicine.

 

An ice pack will beat Voltaren any time....

That goes in the right way

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Which doctor did you see?

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Ponpan Jindawattanawong.

 

were all the muscles in both arms tested for weakness? extension, flexion, rotation abduction, etc.  if strength in both arms was equal that is a good thing

 

also important is test the reflexes in upper extremities. did he tap with a triangular rubber hammer? or other object

 

test for sensory deficit?   pulses?

 

did flexing your neck (slow and careful chin towards chest decrease pain?

[KKr]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

yes they gave me the spray on version. i am just trying to figure out how much i should inhale.

 

seriously this stuff is great for dulling the pain also.

do you have feeling in your toes ?
if someone pinches or puts a needle to the skin, any feeling ?

first aid, usually helps, something to do pull ups.
just hang on and your body weight stretches the muscles and spine.

( some of the meds are rather unpleasant (Voltaren

 in my case), take the pain but give the runs what is annoying when it is difficult to move. )

Edited March 25, 2019 by KKr

[Sheryl]

i think 2 seperate issues.  My responses are based on my years of dealing with drs and back issues.  

the shoulder problem i only have one experience (frozen shoulder).   I offer no suggestions about the shoulder issue.   but i maintain there is a good chance the lower back is likely a muscular issue.

What lower back? He does not have a lower back problem.

 

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[Sheryl]

Where does one find a palliative specialist in Thailand?  My guess is they are a rare species indeed. 

Yes, not many of them but most large hospitals have at least one. And the tertiary government hospitals have pain clinics.

Pain management/palliative care is a subspecialty of anesthesia.

Bangkok Hospital (Bangkok) has a pretty good palliative care team.

Thai practice is to maximize the use of ancilliary drugs and measures (e.g. nerve blocks etc.) in order to reduce the need for opiates. That does not mean no opiates but they willdo what they can to avoid or reduce the need and this approach has its advantages.

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[Sheryl]

Ponpan Jindawattanawong.

If you want a second opinion make appt with the ortho I mentioned yesterday. US trained.

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[rumak]

43 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

What lower back? He does not have a lower back problem.

 

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you're right.   upper back near shoulder now that i read it over.   excuse my confusion....

Most back problems and comments here are lower back issues.  I will copy and save my comments

for those posts when they arrive.  For now, Rumak has left the house

[Dario]

2 hours ago, Ctkong said:

Pinched sciatic nerve can be resolved by using trigger point therapy done by an experience chiropractor. I have a close friend who uses this therapy with very good result. 

That's what my mother suffered from: a pinched sciatic nerve. She had been to several chiropractors in Switzerland without any success.

[Orton Rd]

10 hours ago, connda said:

Tramadol won't do much for the pain, but it tends to make you feel better about handling the pain you have.  However, it's a pain in the butt to obtain. Most pharmacies don't carry pure Tramadol which is cheap as dirt around 40 THB for a strip of ten 50mg capsules, but instead carry Ultracet which is Tylonol with 35mg of Tramadol and costs between 180 to 220 for 10 tabs. And most don't carry it at all. 

Ultracet is from Korea and contains 37.5 mg tramadol, it's 160 baht where i get it but would prefer the cheap tamadol, just can never find it.

[Alainpm]

1 hour ago, Dario said:

That's what my mother suffered from: a pinched sciatic nerve. She had been to several chiropractors in Switzerland without any success.

obvious

[rumak]

3 hours ago, Saltire said:

I used to suffer back pain from about 2010 and over the years got gradually worse but never so bad that I needed medication. I tried a chiropractor and osteopath in the UK but was just a waste of a lot of money.

 

I moved to Cambodia in 2012 where it really got bad, to the extent I went to the RAM hospital in Chiang Mai where they recommend an MRI. The MRI was pretty inconclusive with nothing obvious to the consultant on the MRI scan or an Xray and so the only diagnosis was painkillers. I don't recall what, but just normal over the counter stuff.

 

6 Months later I could barely walk more than 50 metres with sciatica down the left leg and lower back so this time, back to Thailand and Bumrungrad in Bangkok. It took me 40 minutes to walk from my hotel in Nana to the hospital which should have been a 10 minute stroll. Recommended another MRI and as before, the consultant says there was nothing obvious. This however did not stop him recommending a spinal fusion op to remove a disk and bolt the 2 vertebrae together, at a cost of roughly $25k +++. I considered this but after a bit of research decided against it.

 

Administratively and facilities wise both hospitals were excellent but what let them down in both cases was the 'specialists', neither of whom inspired any confidence and did not even feign an interest in my condition.

 

On my return home to Cambodia, now a bit desperate from the debilitating, worsening condition I clutched at straws and went to a Swiss lady trained in acupuncture in Beijing. 7 sessions later and I was almost pain-free, and still am today 7 years on. I walk 4 to 5 km every day and feel better than ever. If I overdo the walking i can get a dull lower back pain but it's nothing. I should add I am the biggest skeptic on alternative medicine, but I am well sold on acupuncture.

 

Just a suggestion, it could be worth a look if you get to the bottom of this, and get over the worst of the pain.

 

Good luck, get well soon.

 

PS Any massage nowadays comes with a 'don't touch my spine' warning before starting..

thousands of stories similar to this... as is mine.   oh so simple and righteous for those that say with indignity " go to a doctor !! "     I usually start with a doctor just to get some sort of opinion (if it is a symptom I am not familiar with).   After a question or two they start acting annoyed or distracted and

then I take it from there.   This is not the place to go into specifics. Everyone is different.  Try to educate yourself and fix your body naturally, if you have the willpower.   There are medicines that help, but even then you need to weigh the pros and cons intelligently.   Doctors will definitely not do that for you.

[NCC1701A]

wow these pain killers are sort of trippy.

my arm is in a sling and i thought of this from when i was 11 or 12 years old.

maybe this is the flashback they said i would have.

.

[NCC1701A]

 

[Tomahawk21]

On 3/24/2019 at 2:21 PM, KarlS said:

The doctor(s) are aware of what is available and what suited to whatever is the cause of your pain. A diagnosis is needed! 

diagnosis is needed! 

 

good luck on getting that here, lucky guess with this lot.

[Sheryl]

13 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

wow these pain killers are sort of trippy.

my arm is in a sling and i thought of this from when i was 11 or 12 years old.

maybe this is the flashback they said i would have.

.

 

that's the tramadol

 

has pycsh effects

 

For some people, very unpleasant ones. Apparently not for you.

[Sheryl]

P.S. If the problem is in the shoulder, by far top shoulder specialist in Thailand is Dr. Mason at Bumrungrad. Harvard trained. While Bumrungrad itself is expensive Dr. mason will not recommend any teratment not necessary and I have known people to save money/avoid unnecessary treatment by seeing him. Just a thought, in case you are nto satisfied with care.progress where you are.

[NCC1701A]

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

P.S. If the problem is in the shoulder, by far top shoulder specialist in Thailand is Dr. Mason at Bumrungrad. Harvard trained. While Bumrungrad itself is expensive Dr. mason will not recommend any teratment not necessary and I have known people to save money/avoid unnecessary treatment by seeing him. Just a thought, in case you are nto satisfied with care.progress where you are.

thanks Sheryl, this maybe my next stop. i have immobilized my arm for few days and i will see if it is better. if not off to Bangkok.

 

i did have soon weird dreams last night and waking up in start, reacting to something. 

 

i guess i will give up being spiderman until my shoulder heals. ????

 

thank you for all you do.

[Sheryl]

The weird dreams also are the tramadol.

 

It is pretty foul stuff IMO. Take as little as you can.

 

I have to be in serious agony to take it. It does work in releiviing pain, but at a price.

[WaveHunter]

On 3/24/2019 at 3:17 PM, sweatalot said:

This threat is going too far in non professionals discussing pain management when there is no diagnosis. So, as I recommended a few posts ago take one of those pain killers or a combination mentioned there. If the pain doesn't go away or comes back - see a doctor.

I’m sure the ops problem has probably resolved by now but just wanted to say I think there are entirely too many AMATUER doctors on this forum.  

 

Get a definitive diagnosis from a REAL doctor if your pain is that serious!

 

Ive had severe pain like this so I’m not minimizing the op’s situation, but self-medicating, even in the short term with SEVERE pain is dangerous and foolish!  Pain is your body’s way of telling you there’s something wrong, and serious pain means something is seriously wrong.

 

Your question should more properly be WHO is a good doctor to see for your particular complaint...not, how do I self-medicate.

 

Sorry, not intending to offend anyone in particular, but a 16+ page thread proves there’s just way too many “make pretend” doctors on Thai Visa forums who should stop showing off with their pseudo medical knowledge, diagnostic skills, and anecdotal advice.

 

Just my 2 baht’s worth.

 

PS:  Just want add that I do not include Sheryl in this group at all.  Her comments are always on-mark, and I’m guessing she has a legitimate medical background.

 

Edited March 27, 2019 by WaveHunter

[atyclb]

2 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

I’m sure the ops problem has probably resolved by now but just wanted to say I think there are entirely too many AMATUER doctors on this forum.  

 

Get a definitive diagnosis from a REAL doctor if your pain is that serious!

 

Ive had severe pain like this so I’m not minimizing the op’s situation, but self-medicating, even in the short term with SEVERE pain is dangerous and foolish!  Pain is your body’s way of telling you there’s something wrong, and serious pain means something is seriously wrong.

 

Your question should more properly be WHO is a good doctor to see for your particular complaint...not, how do I self-medicate.

 

Sorry, not intending to offend anyone in particular, but a 16+ page thread proves there’s just way too many “make pretend” doctors on Thai Visa forums who should stop showing off with their pseudo medical knowledge, diagnostic skills, and anecdotal advice.

 

Just my 2 baht’s worth.

 

PS:  Just want add that I do not include Sheryl in this group at all.  Her comments are always on-mark, and I’m guessing she has a legitimate medical background.

 

 

being an amateur doctor is much more stress free than being a real one

[durian explorer]

Hardly any of us were suggesting not to see a doctor, but in my opinion (and in the opinion of many posters here), relying solely on doctors to solve a problem as complex as this one is extremely unwise, as there are so many alternative treatments that would not be suggested by doctors. These alternative treatments are far less risky and invasive (not to mention expensive) than some conventional Western medical treatments.

 

Anecdotal information is not predictive of any other individual's success, but in the aggregate can show trends as to what has been most effective for others, pointing us in directions that may solve our problem.

 

I for one have read all the pages of this thread, and have taken some notes for future use.

 

[Ossy]

Sorry to spot this thread so late. If you can get Ibuprofen in Thailand, that's rated slightly higher than Tramadol.

Is it a lower back tweek of the cervix that hurts like phuque yet can be triggered by something as innocent as  . . . well, as innocent as that, too. Let me know if you're still suffering, cos I may well have the remedy.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ossy
correction

[gamb00ler]

Last Oct. I suffered from a pinched nerve root in the cervical section of my spine.  It started as a mild pain only in the shoulder blade area but gradually worsened.  At the worst I would get shooting pains up and down my right arm, loss of sensation in 1st and 2nd fingers, muscle twitching.  If I sat down, iced it often and didn't walk around the pain was fairly mild.  I took ibuprofen as needed.  The worst part was that the pain became unbearable if I lay down flat and ibuprofen didn't help.  For a few weeks I had to sleep in a reclining chair. 

I saw an orthopedic specialist, had an MRI and then had a steroidal injection where the ortho guy thought was the likely candidate.  The injection seemed to only ease the pain for about one day.  The pain returned in full force.  A friend who had a similar problem sent me a link to 2 YouTube videos of simple exercises intended to help ease the pressure on the nerve.   Over the next two weeks the pain slowly disappeared.  I'm not sure if the injection or the exercises led to the recovery.  I still do the exercises periodically as they're very unlikely to be harmful in any way.

 

I still have small patches on my first two fingers where sensation has not returned 100%.

 

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

 

NCC1701A, I hope your recovery is swift and complete.

Edited April 22, 2019 by gamb00ler

[atyclb]

4 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

Last Oct. I suffered from a pinched nerve root in the cervical section of my spine.  It started as a mild pain only in the shoulder blade area but gradually worsened.  At the worst I would get shooting pains up and down my right arm, loss of sensation in 1st and 2nd fingers, muscle twitching.  If I sat down, iced it often and didn't walk around the pain was fairly mild.  I took ibuprofen as needed.  The worst part was that the pain became unbearable if I lay down flat and ibuprofen didn't help.  For a few weeks I had to sleep in a reclining chair. 

I saw an orthopedic specialist, had an MRI and then had a steroidal injection where the ortho guy thought was the likely candidate.  The injection seemed to only ease the pain for about one day.  The pain returned in full force.  A friend who had a similar problem sent me a link to 2 YouTube videos of simple exercises intended to help ease the pressure on the nerve.   Over the next two weeks the pain slowly disappeared.  I'm not sure if the injection or the exercises led to the recovery.  I still do the exercises periodically as they're very unlikely to be harmful in any way.

 

I still have small patches on my first two fingers where sensation has not returned 100%.

 

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

 

NCC1701A, I hope your recovery is swift and complete.

 

injection was done prior to cervical traction?